August reunion

August August. Still hot as heck and still full of parties, bbq's, family events, reunions, and adventure. I got a small work bonus in July and it arrived just in time to purchase a NEW CAMERA!!! I've been using my Kodak easyshare $89 camera from Target since 2008. An upgrade was long overdue.

My friend Amy Jenkins (who is basically like my little sister from my childhood) has the same camera and went shopping with me to get it. I got a Nikon Coolpix L810 at Pictureline in SLC. I wanted to support a local business instead of ordering it from Amazon.

I thought I would mess the with the salesman so I told him I wanted the nicest camera that $200's could buy because I'm a wedding photographer and I have a blog now. The look on his face was priceless. I quickly told him I was kidding but he didn't really lighten up after I told him it was a JOKE. By the time I paid for my camera I think he knew I was kidding and was a little less disgusted.

We had the Anderson family reunion the first week of August. It's at a place called the Straberry Pinncacles. It's a great place for a reunion because there is a lot of room for the kids to run around, a little river running behind the lodge, and lots of hiking. Our brother in law Raymond brought up kayaks and we all played in the pond. We got brave and took them down the river.

Our adventure down the river was the best thing ever. It was moving quite a bit faster than we thought and Dan had never been in a kayak. I took kayaking in college but that was 7 years ago. Within the first 2 minutes of getting in the water, I got tangled in a tree and tipped over, Raymond had a water snake go over his arm, he got tangled in the same tree I did and tipped and then Dan got going down the river backwards and freaked out and tipped over.

After we pulled our kayaks out and emptied them, we had a little smoother run. Dan's Dad took pictures of us in the river but I don't have those. I was brave enough to go down a little waterfall and felt like a champ because I didn't tip over.

We had to leave the reunion early because Dan had to take a final for his patho-phys class. We were only there for one day but it was awesome.

Tasha, Garrett, and Gabe with favorite uncle Dan.

Cute little Whitney with her big sister Hayley. Such fashionista's with their matching sandals!

Whitney coming to get me. I freaking love little Whitney, I'm pretty sure we would have been best friends if we were the same age.

AHHHHH! She got me

Dan with Gabriel

I just love the look on Dan's face

Launching the kayaks in the pond

Dan being a sport while I try out the new camera's potential

YES!

lovebirds

Dan's sister Katie. Katie has a rare disease called NF2. Most people her age with NF2 are in wheelchairs and have a very different quality of life from Katie. When she was kayaking she told us, I don't know any other NF2'ers that could do this! She is a rock star. The funniest thing was before she got in the kayak her dad was trying to give her instruction through sign language and gestures because Katie can't hear. She just looks at him like " no duh, Dad, I think I can figure out how to handle paddling in a boat!" Love her sense of humor.

Weeeeeee!